Following the momentous signing of a Memorandum of Intent in June 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia, the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance (AHA Centre) got together again at PDC headquarters in Hawai’i to extend their strategic partnership and engagements. During a two-day visit, Ms. Adelina Kamal, newly appointed Executive Director of AHA Centre, worked alongside PDC executives to outline new initiatives that will advance disaster risk reduction goals for the region and beyond.
Ms. Kamal is widely recognized for her role in the development of ASEAN disaster management and risk reduction programs and initiatives, including her key role in instituting the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER), the establishment of the AHA Centre, and the coordination of humanitarian relief efforts following major disasters in the region.
“After collaborating so closely for well over a decade on development of regional and global disaster risk reduction capabilities and sound practices, it’s time for the two centers to join forces and lead the industry on a wide range of related issues.” said PDC Executive Director Ray Shirkhodai. He continued, “We are honored and enthusiastic to have Ms. Kamal at PDC headquarters to explore common strategic goals and tactical steps to help us make ASEAN and the world safer for all citizens.”
The thirteen-year-old partnership includes collaboration on significant capacity enhancements in early warning and multi-hazard monitoring technology as well as disaster risk reduction and humanitarian assistance capabilities within the region. “ASEAN has envisioned being the future global leader in disaster management by the year 2025, capitalizing on our own experience in responding to world class disasters. To achieve this, we are excited to strengthen our partnership with leading institutions and the best in the industry like PDC so that we can bring those discussions in New York and Geneva to where the disasters are,” said Ms. Kamal, referring to the headquarter cities for UN disaster reduction programs.
After her stay on Maui, Ms. Kamal joined PDC’s executives at the third annual Future Focus 2017 Conference, organized by the University of Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i Business Roundtable, where she delivered a keynote and joined the panelists presenting on “Defying Mother Nature’s Furies through Cyber & Space Technologies.”
For more information about the AHA Centre and its partnership with PDC, see also:
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